In Your Arms
by missashlee28
Summary: Updated: Chapter 17. [RikuoKazahaya], [KakeiSaiga], and some gen. An experience that results in arguments, laughter and unexpected situations: life. A compilation of many oneshots: some drabbles and some full length.
1. Bandage

**In Your Arms**

_All Too Familiar _

**Rating**: M (not quite smut and cursing)

**Spoiler Warnings**: None

**Theme**: #3 – Bandage

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the greatness that is CLAMP. I am merely borrowing so that I may manipulate the hot boys to my liking.

**Author's Note**: I know nothing about how doctors live their lives or how they perform their job. Of course, I know what I have seen on a few episodes of ER and my occasional visit to the doctor, however everything else here is merely a figment of my imagination. If you find discrepancies or have advice/ details in regards to this chapter, please let me know so that I may make changes to this story. Anything is helpful. Thank you!

* * *

He was tired. Not exhausted from working two twelve hours shifts in the past 36 hours, although that was no small part of the entire matter, but a bone deep weariness that had settled somewhere down in his soul. That helped explain, at least a little, why instead of being at home sleeping in his bed, Rikuo was at a local restaurant, sitting at the bar, drinking vodka straight up.

He had been smart enough to order some food to go along with the liquor, so as not to get sick by drinking on an empty stomach and to avoid getting drunk too quickly, but it didn't seem to be working as well as he had hoped. He was already feeling pretty buzzed and still had to drive home. He decided it would be for the best if he stopped drinking and sat around until he sobered up a bit. Rikuo looked around for something to distract himself until he reached such a point.

Across the bar he saw an attractive brunette giving him a good once over and knew that he could easily take her home tonight, if he was so inclined. He wasn't being arrogant but he knew that with his tall, built frame, short dark hair and matching eyes that he gave off an aura of power and mystery, which was something that always intrigued others. He could tell by looking at her what she wanted for the night, anyone with eyes could, but he didn't want her. Not tonight.

Gender had nothing to do with it, it never did, he knew to accept it if he found somebody sexually attractive, although it usually was men whom he ended up in bed with. He'd been with the occasional woman who had caught his interest but he'd learned early on that he much preferred the same sex.

No, he just didn't feel like going home with anybody tonight, he was much more willing to sit around and wallow in his own pity for a while. It usually left him with more self respect in the morning when his mood had passed. He knew; he'd dealt with these feelings before. Getting drunk at a bar after losing a patient wasn't the healthiest way to deal with the problem, but it worked, and most of the time, that was enough.

Turning away from the woman down the bar, he focused his attention elsewhere and simply watched the passing of restaurant patrons and the hustle of waiters and waitresses as they served their guests.

A young man passed by his vision, a tray of drinks balanced precariously in one hand while making his way towards a booth against the wall. He had light brown hair that was left longer than most and feel becomingly around his face, slightly longer strands on one side. He had a thin petite frame with an angelic face and large dark bedroom eyes that held a brilliant defiant spark in them.

Rikuo was instantly attracted to him, considered waiting until the waiters shift had passed to flirt with him a bit, but changed his mind when he remembered that he was not even half way towards the direction of sobriety.

But wearing the house uniform of black trousers, a black button up shirt and a long black apron, he looked much too appealing.

Rikuo decided that if he sat there even a moment longer, seeing that young waiter with the charming smile and long hair that screamed for Rikuo to bury his hands in it and pull their mouths together in a clashing fury of passion, he would simply not be able stop himself from doing something stupid.

Quickly he paid his bill, still ignoring the last lingering look of the woman at the bar and made his way to his car. On the way to his car though, he realized he was still much too drunk to drive home and reached for his cell phone inside his pocket to call for a taxi. It would be easy enough to take a taxi back to restaurant the next afternoon before work.

It was then that Rikuo realized he had left his cell phone in the bar which he couldn't go home without, especially because the hospital might call him if an emergency arose. That and then he would have no way to call a taxi to take his drunk ass home.

Starting on his way back inside, he saw the attractive waiter run outside and to Rikuo's surprise right up to him with his cell phone in hand.

"Excuse me, sir." His cheeks were flushed from the short run. "The bartender said you'd left this inside." He extended his left hand revealing the cell phone.

Perhaps if he hadn't been drunk he wouldn't have done it. He wasn't really sure, considering he was just that, drunk, and in no mood for long trains of rational thought.

He had looked into that boy's dark eyes, eyes that were filled with a desire to be touched, but perhaps he was seeing his own eyes reflected back at him… and could not help himself. He could not break that stare and simply could not resist the temptation, nor did he really want to. He could have easily taken his cell phone back without physical contact but instead Rikuo reached out to run his fingers along the other's forearm, starting with the crook of his elbow and slowly sliding his fingers all the way down, caressing the soft skin of his inner wrist. Rikuo heard the boy's breath hitch, felt his pulse leap beneath his thumb and saw his eyes darken with desire.

What felt like long moments later, Rikuo plucked his phone from the boy's now limp grasp and smirked mischievously. "Thanks."

The waiter seemed to snap out of his shocked state and with a mumbled "goodnight, sir" was headed back into the restaurant.

Rikuo felt like laughing as he dialed information to connect him to a local taxi service.

He had always enjoyed a good challenge.

* * *

He'd had the urge to return to the restaurant over the next week, but his hours at work did not allow any time for such actions. Truthfully, he was rather glad of this as he had always believed that fixations were not exactly healthy. Not to mention the fact that he didn't really want the boy to remember him from his night of drunken partial flirting.

But two weeks later when he'd managed to secure three days off in a row, two without being on call, he barely recalled his encounter from close to three weeks ago. It wasn't that he couldn't remember his sudden desire for the attractive waiter but he'd simply chalked it up to a night filled with too much liquor and the slightest bit of depression that had led to a strange mood and even stranger actions.

Rikuo was not the type to fawn over somebody or hold a candle to the wind for some romantic notion. Therefore, when he'd walked into the restaurant one early morning, he'd been more than a little surprised that now, when completely sober, he found the young man just as attractive as he had that night so many weeks ago and possibly even more so now that he was thinking straight.

Rikuo was just manipulative enough to manage being seated in the young man's section and was feeling entirely too pleasant when he sat down and opened up his newspaper.

When the waiter stopped by to take his order, it was obvious he did not remember him from the night not too long ago that would had been ingrained in Rikuo's memory for some time. Throughout the whole breakfast, Rikuo did not do much more than observe the young man when he stopped by his table to refill his coffee and their interaction was quite plain with the exception of that bit of tension, that was always present when two people were obviously attracted to each other.

When bringing Rikuo the check, whether he was genuinely interested or simply playing up the last minute conversation that waiters did to help their tip, he asked, "So, are you going off to work after this?"

Rikuo simply looked up into the young man's eyes for a moment, sending him a challenging look, a look that was plainly asking if he really wanted to go down this path. Rikuo thought he saw the slightest twitch in the other's brow. "No, it's my day off. I just thought I would come by here and enjoy the… _atmosphere_." Rikuo's smirk let the other know exactly what he was referring to.

For a moment Rikuo thought he might end up with a lap full of hot coffee, he was given such a deathly look but the waiter obviously restrained himself for the sake of keeping his job. Perhaps he had been just curious when he'd asked. Rikuo could barely contain his laughter at the waiter's indignant expression, but his amusement shone through his eyes. He just smiled at the young man, feeling more interested than he had been in a long time.

The other's expression softened just a bit and Rikuo knew, _just knew_, with absolute certainty how the fate of their meeting would end.

* * *

Living life as a good doctor had its perks, that was for sure. You earned enough money to afford a nice car, a big house, pretty much anything you wanted within reason. You were given a healthy amount of respect for working in your chosen field and were most often times regarded as a hero.

Of course, the opposite was also true, being a doctor had many terrible aspects involved in it, the loss of life, the responsibility of holding a person's life in your hands, telling family members about the death of a loved one, were all parts of the job that flat out were loathed.

But at that moment, Rikuo hated nothing more than the shitty hours that were involved with the job, especially working the Emergency Room. It was 4:30am, his shift was almost over and he would have come close to killing for a cup of coffee after pulling off his most recent double shift at the hospital. It had been mostly a quiet night, nothing more serious than young children with high fevers, broken bones and other various serious but not life threatening injuries. Hoping to make it another half an hour until the end of his shift without another patient was simply too much to hope for though, as a young nursing assistant informed him that a routine burn was waiting for him in one of the many Exam rooms.

Once he reached the outside of the room, Rikuo tried to tell himself that it was almost over and soon he would be able to go home. Still it was hard, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall into his own comfortable king sized bed. On quiet nights like these, it was hard to stay awake without the adrenaline that came with serious accidents or injuries. Not to say he wanted those, of course, just that it was a whole lot easier to stay awake without your mind focused on the comfort of your own bed.

Steeling himself, he pushed open the door only to come face to face with what had been the source of his wet dreams for the past month. _Great, _he thought sarcastically, _just what I need to end this night with._

He had always felt a certain connection with the younger man who was a waiter at a bar he frequented after work. He'd been to the restaurant a few more times since his last visit but he'd had little other interaction with the man. It wasn't that they weren't interested in each other, both knew, could feel the underlying spark between them; they were just enjoying the game. Rikuo was enjoying it because he knew how it would end and knew from experience that their game of cat and mouse was just another slower form of foreplay.

Kazahaya, he had learned the young man's name was, was simply the more naïve type who enjoyed their flirting and shared looks, but probably wasn't sure where the entire matter was heading. The aforementioned waiter was seated in a plastic chair with half of his shirt unbuttoned and pulled off, exposing a painfully large looking but none-too-serious burn on his forearm.

His pale skin was flushed under the bright lights, most likely from the pain of his injury and Rikuo could see the trail of fine blond hairs that led a tantalizing path down to the waistband of his black trousers. Trying to remember that he was here in a professional capacity and not here to molest the boy, he decided to get down to business (although it was hard not to turn that into an innuendo this late at night).

When Kazahaya looked up and saw him, his face was a mixture of shock and relief. During their very brief actual conversations at the restaurant, he had told Kazahaya his name but never specifics like what he did for a living. He felt like maybe something, anything, should be said, but he simply didn't know what.

Making brief eye contact, Rikuo settled down to work on the small burn. It was difficult to concentrate without focusing on the boy's exposed skin or the softness of flesh, but he distracted himself and Kazahaya as he always did with all of his patients. Making small talk was always a good idea, as it put the patient at ease and took their mind off whatever the doctor was doing to them.

Through this, he learned that Kazahaya had received his burn during the late night shift of his job, when during a rush in the kitchen, he'd gotten a bit too close to a hot pan.

All in all, he was acting like the cheerful kid he was (who was in his defense not a kid because he was 24, something listed on his vitals sheet that Rikuo had seen) but seemed totally oblivious to the fact that the whole situation seemed somewhat awkward. They knew each other, no matter how very little interaction they had shared, had flirted with each other, Rikuo had even made a subtle pass at him several times, but still they were acting as doctor and patient. Although, Rikuo admitted, right now at this exact moment they really were doctor and patient, but it still did not feel right to him.

He finished things up by wrapping a bandage around Kazahaya's arm (he had never been able to bring himself to call him Kudo in his mind considering he'd been dreaming about the man) and giving him a prescription for a salve and some pain medication.

Kazahaya thanked him quite ecstatically, addressing him as "Himura-sensei", showing that the shot of medication the nurse had hit him up with when he came in was finally working, and stood up to put his shirt back on properly. Rikuo, in a move far from doctor/ patient status, halted Kazahaya's movements and gently helped him put his arm back into the sleeve of his shirt. Rikuo knew the man was not incapacitated or anything close to it from something as simple as a burn, but that did not stop him from continuing to help Kazahaya with getting dressed. His fingers took on a life of their own as they started to button up Kazahaya's shirt, all the while brushing the bare flesh just above each individual button as his hand moved upwards.

Kazahaya, looking rather glassy-eyed, thanked him again and said he needed to go check himself out.

Rikuo thanked the gods that his shift was finally over as he hung up his white coat on the back of his office door. His shift might have been over, but he knew that it would be a while before he would be sleeping.

* * *

He was waiting outside for him, when Kazahaya stepped out. His tone was sharper than intended from his exhaustion. "How did you get here?"

Kazahaya just smiled, still feeling the effects of the earlier administered drugs. "A co-worker drove me down here."

It wasn't that Rikuo was a man of few words, he had no trouble with being a friendly person when needed to be, it was simply that he felt his patience was beginning to run thin. His words were clipped. "Come on then."

Kazahaya didn't even blink at the command and simply began following Rikuo to his car (the BMW was one of the perks, of course) and was buckled up in the moving car, being asked for directions to his apartment, when where he was finally seemed to sink in. "Oh, Himura-sensei you don't need to drive me home. I can take the bus."

"Don't call me that. I'm not your doctor." That much was true. He had only administered treatment to him in the ER for a total of about 15 minutes in which Rikuo had spent most of that time dreaming about bending him over the nearby bed and pressing his erection into Kazahaya's ass just to feel the skin touch sweetly.

"Okay, anyways, you can just let me out here."

"I said no."

Usually when he teased Kazahaya at the restaurant, he would hold in his temper, but they were no longer waiter and customer, or doctor and patient. "Are you trying to order me around, you jerk?"

"That's not exactly what I meant when I told you not to call me Himura-sensei. I was thinking something more along the lines of my first name."

When Rikuo looked over at him, seeing Kazahaya's face flushed with anger, his hair tangled from the crazy night, and the defiant spark in his eyes, he knew how the night would end.

"Look, I'm just trying to do you a favor. You're obviously extremely tired and I can tell that the medication the nurse gave you hasn't worn off and you're not quite yourself. I'm just trying to get you home safe, is that such a bad thing?"

Kazahaya slumped down in defeat, not even realizing that during the whole argument Rikuo was driving towards his own luxury apartment. So quietly, Rikuo barely heard it, Kazahaya muttered a belated, "thank you" before closing his eyes and yielding to the exhaustion of the night and recent events.

The next thing Kazahaya knew he was being helped out of the car and up a staircase, his protests being quieted by Rikuo who told him he could sleep in the guest bedroom.

Knowing he couldn't win the argument, not even really caring, because he knew Rikuo marginally well and wasn't afraid of what would happen, he agreed to stay the night sleeping in the spare bed.

Kazahaya was more than impressed with Rikuo's apartments, but he supposed that this was what people who made the kind of money doctors made could afford. The furniture and décor were elegant and simple, but obviously expensive.

Still feeling a foggy haze settled over him, he allowed himself to be led to the spare bedroom, which was close to the size of his entire apartment. He didn't even think he was walking anymore; it was more of him shuffling his feet in a parody of the act while Rikuo carried him along.

He felt his shoes being slipped off, he was now sitting on the edge of the luxurious bed and next thing he knew, his shirt was being unbuttoned and pulled off as well. He might have felt some embarrassment over his remaining modesty but was simply too tired to care and felt rather comfortable in Rikuo's presence. It all felt so familiar; like in another realm he had been comforted and taken care of by this man a million times.

Rikuo was messing with the bandage on his arm now, saying something about wanting to look at the burn and Kazahaya simply sat with his eyes closed for several minutes feeling near a nirvana-like state.

He was being lowered into the bed, slipping under the covers and when he opened his eyes and saw Rikuo's gentle expression and his arms around him. In that moment, Kazahaya knew so strongly that he'd lived this moment before that he did not even consider his actions before he found himself doing them.

Rikuo's lips were so soft, softer than he had imagined, and his short hair between his fingers felt as soft as silk. Rikuo's tongue was tracing along the seam of lips, asking for something, and Kazahaya answered the query by opening his mouth to admit the entrance of his tongue.

Together their mouths met in not what Rikuo had imagined as their first kiss, a clashing of passion and raw feeling with teeth and tongue, but in a moment of sweet intimacy in which everything was shy and tentative and nothing like he had ever experienced. Kazahaya tasted like tea and honey and sugar and something indefinable but incredibly sexy. Rikuo felt like he could lie there all night and simply be happy with exploring this man's mouth. He could have been happy with that, but he didn't want to be.

Slowly he pushed the covers away from Kazahaya's body and lowered himself from his half risen position above Kazahaya and blanketed his body over the other's wishing he was not wearing the bothersome confinements of clothing.

Rikuo was now moving his mouth down the pale column of Kazahaya's neck, nipping and sucking, while Kazahaya was making the most delicious sounds of pleasure. Rikuo grinded their erections together making Kazahaya arch up and he heard him moan his enjoyment as he skimmed his hand up to tweak one pink nipple.

Rikuo was not sure how far things would have went had he not looked up into Kazahaya's unfocused eyes at that moment, but he knew that he would not have stopped until they were both sweating and satisfied. When Rikuo had looked into his face he'd seen that Kazahaya was aware of what they were doing, but was still not completely himself. Nothing would be worse than having Kazahaya wake the next morning with regrets. As much as Rikuo wanted Kazahaya, he didn't want to be a bad memory or the trigger of an emotion like shame or embarrassment the next day.

Not only that, but he'd had a feeling and tonight had only cemented that thought, that Kazahaya was perhaps not a virgin but surely had never been with another man before. He had no problems being his first, actually sort of reveled in the thought, but even as an unsentimental man, he knew this was no way for such an event to take place.

Not quite pushing Kazahaya away, but definitely pulling away, Rikuo tried to gain some semblance of sanity again. He faced that confused expression on Kazahaya's face, almost changed his mind by the looks of Kazahaya's pink wet lips and eyes filled with desire, but spoke with as much certainty as he could muster. "I'm not going to apologize for this, because I'm really, I'm _not_ sorry, but I don't think this is right."

He saw the hurt look on Kazahaya's face and immediately tried to clarify his earlier statement, "I mean _tonigh_t isn't right. Not this, not _us_."

He could no longer see Kazahaya's expression as his face was now hidden by the curtain of his hair as he bent his head down low, so he had no clue what exactly Kazahaya meant by his uttered "oh".

Rikuo got up and left the room, hating himself for playing the knight in shining armor, a part he had always disliked by somehow found himself playing more often than not. He returned a few minutes later with a glass of water and a dose of the pain medication. He set both on the nightstand and was about to turn away, but found he could not drag his eyes from the sleeping figure on the middle of the bed.

He sat down on the edge of the bed wondering how the in the hell this night had ended up this way but could not seem to stay focused. He was so tired from the long day at work and normally he liked to take a shower when he got home to wash off the smell of disinfectant but he was becoming more entranced by the sight lying on his side in his guest bed and suddenly it seemed like the best idea in the world to just rest his eyes for a minute with his head on the pillow and an arm around the tiny waist of Kazahaya, just for a minute really…

* * *

Rikuo was not the type to wake up disoriented or remembering only half the night's events, even when he had a good deal of liquor in him, and the next morning was no different. He'd woken up remembering where he was with perfect crystal clarity and did not need to stop and wonder why he wasn't in his bed.

He only hoped Kazahaya was the same type because he'd opened his eyes to see Kazahaya looking at him with a speculative gleam deep in his eyes. Could he remember that things had stopped? That their sleeping in the same bed was not an indication of things that had happened last night? Especially considering Rikuo was still fully dressed and Kazahaya was missing nothing except for a shirt.

Rikuo really hoped so because he was not in the mood for hysterics or lots of questions in the morning, was not much of a morning person at all actually, and wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a cup of coffee. He really wouldn't mind a good morning-fuck either, but he was not the type to disillusion himself.

But then, he didn't know why he was so blessed, but he really felt he had been when in the next moment Kazahaya gave him a simple smile, so genuinely real, and said "Good morning, Rikuo" in that sleep roughened voice he had, that was not intentional but sexy as hell nonetheless.

Rikuo could not help but notice that his arm was still wrapped around Kazahaya's waist and curled around his hipbone like they had spent the night together in a loving embrace. He returned the "good morning" in rough voice as well, but knew it was from more than just sleep.

Managing to wrench himself away, he got out of the bed and handed Kazahaya what he'd left on the bed table last night, the medication and glass of water. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower. Feel free to get something out of the kitchen if you want."

When Rikuo stepped out of the shower, fully dressed 25 minutes later, it was to find Kazahaya in his kitchen with nothing more than a cup of coffee and the same black trousers from last night. He still wasn't wearing a shirt, nothing above his waist with the exception of the bandage he'd wrapped around his arm last night.

He felt the need to ask what seemed like a semi-important question as he began making a simple breakfast of eggs and rice. "Do you have to work today?"

Kazahaya answered as if nothing was amiss between them, and perhaps, Rikuo thought, there wasn't. "No, last night before they took me to the ER they told me to take the next few days off. You?"

"Not until tomorrow at noon." It was currently nearing 3pm.

"So, uhh…" Rikuo couldn't see Kazahaya, but had a feeling he was looking pretty sheepish as he stumbled over his words. "Thanks for last night and all. I appreciate all of your…um, help."

Rikuo knew what he was trying to say. He was, of course happy that he'd given him a ride home, but more than likely thankful Rikuo hadn't taken things further than Kazahaya would have been able to handle, no matter how willing he'd been the night before. "I understand."

Rikuo could hear the smile in Kazahaya's voice, "Yeah, I kinda thought you would." He looked around as Rikuo set two plates in front of them, "Nice place you got here. I guess this is what you can afford if you're a doctor, eh?"

"Might as well get something good out of it," Rikuo muttered bitterly. It wasn't that he hated his job, just the hours and the endless dedication that sometimes ended in tragedies that made him want to get drunk, just to forget everything for a few hours.

To his credit, Kazahaya ignored that as if he hadn't heard it, knowing that he hadn't meant it with any real feeling, and just took another bite of his eggs. "This is really good by the way. A lot better than my cooking."

Rikuo knew he had on a shit-eating grin. "I take it that's why you wait tables and don't work back in the kitchen, eh?"

Kazahaya laughed. "Something like that, yeah."

They managed to finish breakfast maintaining a comfortable banter with Kazahaya occasionally getting riled up and calling Rikuo an "arrogant bastard" or "jerk", but Rikuo simply found the whole thing kind of amusing and endearing.

"I guess I should head on home, now. Where is the nearest bus stop to your apartment?"

Rikuo tried to hide his self satisfied smirk. "I'll drive you." Kazahaya went to go find his shirt and shoes, while Rikuo put their plates and cups in the sink and grabbed his car keys.

A few minutes later they were back in Rikuo's car making the short ten minute drive to Kazahaya's apartment complex. The drive had been made in relative silence until, "So how old are you anyways?"

Rikuo, not usually taken off guard, but surprised by Kazahaya's bluntness, simply stared with his mouth open for a moment, when Kazahaya realized he might have been a bit rude. "I'm sorry, I ju-"

"No, it's okay. I just wasn't expecting that. I'm 29."

That seemed to satisfy Kazahaya for the moment as he sank back in the comfortable interior of Rikuo's BMW, seeming to contemplate that for several moments, until what felt like seconds later, they were outside of Kazahaya's apartment complex.

Kazahaya apparently felt the need to take the safe route out and ended things by jumping out of the car with a quick, "Thanks, I'll see you later."

Rikuo didn't mind. He'd known since the beginning where this was going and their fate was still hadn't changed. Not that he believed in the sappy notion of fate though, this was just different.

* * *

A few days later Rikuo was waiting outside of the restaurant Kazahaya worked at, knowing that Kazahaya would be getting off any moment. It was nearing 9:00pm and the stars were shining brightly outside. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, merely enjoying the cool night air when he heard Kazahaya finally leaving. He stepped into his path.

Kazahaya looked at him with something similar to shock in his eyes, maybe he'd thought that he wouldn't be seeing Rikuo again or perhaps not seeing him again so soon after their last encounter. Rikuo, never one to make a difficult situation easier, simply stood there while Kazahaya continued to stare. Rikuo couldn't help himself, "Like what you see?"

The fire in his eyes flared. "You jerk, I was just sur-"

"I thought maybe you wanted to go out for a drink."

"I was only- What did you just say?"

Rikuo smirked, "Let me explain this in terms you can understand."

He pulled Kazahaya by his wrist into the dark alleyway between the restaurant and the parking lot and pushed him against the wall. This time, when their lips met, it was everything Rikuo had imagined that first kiss to be, except it was no longer their first kiss. It was filled with raw emotion, desire, and something else beneath the surface. Their mouths melded together into a sweet fusion of innocence and sin, of sugar and spice and everything in between. When Rikuo pulled away after a brief all too unsatisfied moment and whispered in Kazahaya's ear, "I want to buy you a drink" and finished it all off with a sensuous lick of Kazahaya's earlobe, he knew that life had just gotten a hell of a lot more interesting.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning…_


	2. Shooting stars

_**In Your Arms**_

_Patience_

**Rating**: PG

**Spoiler Warnings**: None

**Theme**: #4 – Shooting stars

**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to the greatness that is CLAMP. I am merely borrowing so that I may manipulate the hot boys to my liking

**Summary: **Rikuo and Kazahaya pass a fun filled night in the bushes.

**Author's Note: **I just want to thank everybody for their kind reviews.You guys make my day! Especially those who have reviewed several times. Thanks XO'MagickMoon'OX, TheNewShinigamiHikari, LamentingFox, Porticulis and sakurasyaoranforever.

**Just a reminder -- all of the chapters are stand alone!**

* * *

"_If I am to die, I want to die in a sweet dream…_

…_In your arms."_

_--Yellow

* * *

_

"Stop moving. You're making too much noise."

"Oh, and you lecturing me is so much quieter."

"I'm being serious. We might get caught."

Silence.

Thirty seconds pass.

One minute.

Leaves rustle.

Rikuo turned a death glare on Kazahaya. Kazahaya flushed but looked unperturbed. Then, in a harsh whisper, "But the branches are poking me."

"What do you expect? We're hiding in a freaking bush."

"You know, Rikuo, you've been in a bad mood all night, what the hell is your problem?"

Rikuo groaned at Kazahaya's unneeded concern. "This is not the time for a chat. They should be leaving any minute."

The two boys, crouching in the bushes behind a large house, were waiting for the residents to leave, so that they could get in and search for an item that Kakei had sent them after. Rikuo thought it seemed a lot like trespassing, breaking and entering, all followed up by stealing, but Kakei had assured them, that said item was truthfully the clients, which apparently justified everything.

That hadn't really reassured Rikuo very much, especially with Saiga laughing, a bit manically, in the background.

All legality aside, he wasn't in the mood to be caught by the owners (or the police for that matter), but Kazahaya was intent on making things difficult.

"Rikuo…"

He ignored Kazahaya in the vain hope that-

"Rikuo!"

"What?"

"I don't think that they're coming out for a while. The bedroom light just came on."

He looked and sure enough the bedroom light was on and shadowed figures were moving around. However, Kakei had said that the residents were going to be leaving tonight and Kakei was usually frighteningly dead on about these things. They could wait a while more.

"Can we go home now?"

Rikuo turned to look at Kazahaya suspiciously. "What's your problem anyways?"

Kazahaya fidgeted. "This is place is giving me the creeps."

"Kazahaya…"

"Alright, fine, I have to pee!"

Rikuo just sighed. This was going to be a long night. "Just try to take your mind off of it."

"How do you suggest doing that?"

"I don't know. Just look around you or something. Try being quiet for a while. That should take a full effort from you."

An outraged squeak but nothing more. Amazingly, five peaceful minutes passed.

"Hey, Rikuo, look!" Rikuo glanced up at the house, sure that it was finally time to get the night over with. He saw nothing.

"It's a shooting star! Make a wish!"

Rikuo saw that there was indeed a shooting star passing overhead. "No."

"C'mon."

"No."

"I'll make one too!"

Rikuo had never claimed to be blessed with patience and did not deny it now. It explained why he conceded easily, because he knew Kazahaya could outlast him in these kinds of games. It had nothing to do with the flush of excitement on Kazahaya's cheeks or the cute smile on his lips.

"I hope I don't get arrested or a die in a horrible gruesome death during this job tonight."

"Rikuo!"

"Fine! I hope neither of us get arrested or die tonight."

Kazahaya looked supremely disappointed. "That's a lame wish."

"Well, it's true. Besides, is that any way to thank me for my generosity?"

"Yeah, but it's so boring. Plus, it's kind of a wasted wish. It's not like either of those things are going to happen tonight."

"I don't mind the extra insurance."

"Whatever."

Rikuo had to admit his curiosity. "What was your wish?"

But Kazahaya's attention was elsewhere. Rikuo felt a small hand brush the back of his neck, in a feathering caress. Rikuo turned and looked at Kazahaya quizzically, who just smiled sheepishly, "Your tag was sticking out."

About to tease the boy, he was interrupted when they suddenly heard the door shut and the residents leave the house.

Rikuo told himself that he would have to try to remember to tease Kazahaya later. That was if they lived through the night.

Both could feel the heavy tension in the air as Rikuo broke the locks. Unusually they were both nervous.

Kazahaya spoke, "I want to stay by your side."

Rikuo looked slightly confused, but relented. After all, he wouldn't admit it, but the place was kind of freaking him out too.

Kazahaya knew he didn't have the courage to say it, but thought it instead. _No, that was my wish._

But…it worked either way.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning…

* * *

_


	3. Contract

**Title:** Legal Drug Halloween Fic **OR** My Excuse to Torture Kazahaya Until the End of Time  
**Rating:** PG  
**Theme:** #5 - contract, for 101ficlets  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine. 'tis CLAMP's wonderful creation.

* * *

It had all began with an argument, which was predictable enough when it came to Rikuo and Kazahaya. It didn't matter how it had started considering that they all ended up going down the same path anyways. Kazahaya inevitably yelled until his voice went hoarse and Rikuo listened half-heartedly, commenting when he thought input was needed, which was rather infrequently as Kazahaya managed to keep himself quite entertained during his ranting monologue.

All the fighting and yelling boiled down to the same usual insults in the end. Kazahaya was far superior to Rikuo, he was not dumb (thank you very much) and Kazahaya was much more useful than Rikuo could ever hope to be.

"As a matter of fact, it's easy to see I'm the more useful of the two of us. Just think about when we go on missions; we definitely use my powers more often than yours!" Kazahaya really hated to lose arguments, especially if they were with Rikuo.

"That may be true, but it's my quick thinking that saves our asses every single time we have a mission."

Kazahaya looked decidedly offended. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"Well, if the shoe fits..."

He now looked decidedly confused. "What are you talking about? Of course my shoes fit."

Rikuo would have given a long-suffering sigh but he was becoming far too used to comments such as this and decided to save his breath. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about-"

"I know! Next mission, I'll keep count and then I'll have proof of your defeat."

"Kazahaya, I'm going to help you out and tell you right now that you are going to regret this."

"You're just scared of losing."

"Fine, I know I'll win anyways."

A moment of (very rare) silence passed.

Kazahaya cleared his throat and an idea occurred to him. "Hey! Shouldn't the winner get something?"

"I think you'll regret that even more."

"Whoever wins can choose the other's Halloween costume should be for next week."

Rikuo looked rather smug. "Alright, it's deal. But don't start complaining when you lose to me."

Kazahaya just smiled as he was now mentally planning his victory over Rikuo and how he would finally force his curse of cross-dressing onto some other helpless victim. Rikuo really would make an excellent cowgirl...

He stuck out his hand for Rikuo to shake. "It's a deal then."

* * *

"You really should know better than to bet against me, Kazahaya. I even warned you." 

"Shut up! And I am not wearing that." He threw the offending clothing articles on the floor. "You are crazy if you think I am."

"Aww, c'mon. You know I've been waiting for this since we went to that crazy school." Rikuo picked the clothing back up and set it in Kazahaya's arms. "Besides, we had a contract."

"A contract! I didn't sign anything."

"You didn't have to. It was a verbal contract. We made a deal. Now, put it on."

Kazahaya looked down at the Hello! Kitty costume in his hands and could only think one thing to say. "I hate you, Rikuo!"

* * *

**Happy Halloween!**


	4. Eyeliner

**-The Naughty LD Halloween Fic OR My excuse to make hot boys wear make-up and get it on-**

**Rating:** PG-13

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Tis CLAMPS.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry I didn't post this before Halloween. Oh, well. Enjoy nonetheless.

* * *

Wasn't there some saying about a full moon and it making people do crazy things? Rikuo decided, whatever the saying was, it must be true. Maybe the statement could even be doubled if it was a full moon on Halloween. Because it was the only explanation he could find for their actions. Not that he needed an explanation, really...

Rikuo didn't know why and it didn't really matter.

He'd walked into the bathroom, expecting it to be empty (the door was open), but had instead walked in on Kazahaya. Who was standing in front of the mirror putting on black eyeliner. Correct that; was now standing in shock, looking slightly flushed with embarrassment.

"Rikuo!"

"What! You had the door open!"

Kazahaya stilled looked embarrassed. "Oh."

Rikuo had started to back out of the room, also feeling slightly flushed, but it had little to do with embarrassment. He'd come to terms with the fact that he had a thing for Kazahaya. It was just one of those things that he managed to push to the side most of the time, something he ignored unless directly confronted with it. Rikuo didn't have any problems with it; things were just easier that way. But sometimes, like times when he caught Kazahaya putting on eyeliner, that he could not quite ignore how ...sexy Kazahaya was. So, it was best that he leave now.

"Rikuo, wait..."

That was unless he was expressly invited to stay. "Wait" was an invitation, right? Rikuo decided it was.

"I was just-"

He was sure Kazahaya would have managed at least a decent excuse, except Rikuo didn't care anymore. Rikuo put his hands on Kazahaya's hips, which were covered in a soft thin fabric, and turned Kazahaya to face him. He plucked the pencil out of Kazahaya's hand and considered the face in front of him.

"R-Rikuo..."

Rikuo placed a finger on Kazahaya's lips. "Be quiet."

Normally, Kazahaya would throw a fit at being told to hush up, but was distracted when Rikuo's finger slid down from its resting place on his lips to chin to tilt his face upwards. His eyes closed and he noticed for the first time, how close his hips and chest were to Rikuo's. As a matter of fact, two seconds later when Rikuo took a step forward and pressed Kazahaya against the counter, they were touching, heat spreading between their two bodies.

A few seconds later, Kazahaya with his eyes still closed, felt the pressure of Rikuo pressing the eyeliner pencil against the skin above his eyelashes. For some reason, something that should have felt extremely awkward, Kazahaya thought instead felt extremely erotic. He didn't even notice when he moaned softly at Rikuo's hand stroking the side of his neck, Rikuo's thumb pressing against that sensitive place between his throat and jaw.

Rikuo, however, did notice, but was not distracted from his current work of art, a less than a moment later he was finished with the pencil.

Rikuo could not help feeling exceedingly satisfied when Kazahaya's eyes opened and they could be classified as nothing short of "bedroom eyes".

But when their eyes met, the tension was hot and thick, and Rikuo felt like nothing in the world could keep him from that moment. The hand that had been on Kazahaya's neck moved into his hair, the soft strands becoming tousled under Rikuo's fingers. Slowly, so very slowly, their faces drew closer together, lips merely an inch apart-

A loud series of knocks echoed through the small apartment, and the two jumped apart as if burned.

"Hey, kids, trick or treat!" Saiga's voice sounded unnaturally loud in the uncomfortable silence.

"Rikuo, I-"

"Hey, now, it's not nice to leave a good little trick-or-treater outside in the cold, boys!"

Kazahaya took the opportunity to duck into his own room, and when Rikuo sacrificed his last chocolate bar to throw at Saiga when he opened the door, he decided that the look on Saiga's face was worth the loss of his candy bar.

**-owari-**


	5. Power Outage

**Title:** Pale Night

**Rating:** PG

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. They are CLAMPS.

**Theme**: #14 - power outage

* * *

Nothing was ever peaceful for long in their apartment, so Rikuo really wasn't that surprised, when after a calm day of work, the power went out during dinner.

"GYAAAHH!"

"You should really work on making a less girly sound whenever you're scared."

Rikuo was sure that if he had actually been able to see Kazahaya, he would have been fuming.

"I'm not scared! I was just surprised…that's all."

"You still sounded like a girl."

"Oh, dammit, that is it, Rikuo!" At this Kazahaya made to tackle what he thought was Rikuo, but overshot himself and managed to get a face full of wall. Rikuo would have been worried, except this was actually a pretty common occurrence, even with the lights on.

They, unfortunately, being the poor young males that they were, did not happen to have any candles around, and Rikuo had no idea where their flashlight might be. And even if he could find the flashlight, he was sure it would be missing its batteries or something else that could easily be blamed on Kazahaya. He decided to give it his best shot anyways.

"Kazahaya, do you know where the flashlight is?"

Nervous laughter greeted his question. "Uh… Well, you see, this is a funny story actually-"

"Never mind. Just don't move. You'll probably run into something and break an ankle. I'm gonna go open up the window blinds, hopefully some moonlight will help."

Rikuo knew the apartment pretty well and had a good grasp on his senses, even though it was still pitch black in room. He opened the window in the living room area first and then went and opened both the windows in their bedrooms. The filtered light from the moon was more than enough for them to move around comfortably but not much more than that.

Rikuo and Kazahaya just set their dishes in the kitchen, not bothering with cleaning up. Rikuo decided he might as well go to bed, considering there wasn't much else he could do at this point.

He hadn't been settled in bed more than ten minutes before he heard Kazahaya's footsteps shuffling in. It was finally winter, the snow falling with frequency these days, and with the power out so was the heater. Kazahaya had the blanket from his bed wrapped around his shoulders as he came. He looked even smaller than usual because of it. Rikuo didn't say anything, merely moved over to the side of his bed, making room for him. The bed dipped in as Kazahaya sat down, resting his back against the headboard. "Rikuo…"

"I know. You're bored and you're not tired yet."

"Yeah…"

Although it didn't happen often, Kazahaya could turn introspective and remain silent, merely thinking, for long periods of time. Rikuo was used to these bouts of talking and then silence, it was almost endearing, the way his mind worked.

When Kazahaya spoke again Rikuo was almost asleep, the warm presence at his side lulling him towards the land of the dreaming. "I was thinking…"

"Hmm?"

"Isn't this kind of ironic? The power going out today? Of all days?"

At first, Rikuo had no idea what Kazahaya was referring to. He almost opened his mouth to ask, when the chill of the room and the sight of snow on the windowsill reminded him. "It was a dark day for all of us."

"But Rikuo…"

"What?"

Kazahaya hesitated. "Nothing."

A few moments passed and no more words were spoken, the only sounds were of Kazahaya laying down and burrowing himself underneath the blankets. He and Rikuo rarely slept in the same bed, but it wasn't the first time. Sometimes in the dark of night, when one of them couldn't sleep with thoughts of the past creeping up on them, the presence of the other helped them ignore those images. Kazahaya always found it to be a matter of comfort and of friendship more than anything else. When they were like that, they were both vulnerable, but neither would tease or mock on those nights, just offered what they could.

It was a far cry from the way things used to be. Since the night Rikuo had picked him up off of the street. Two years ago, to the day, and here they were. They were still in the same apartment, working the same jobs, going through the same song and dance, day after day. Some days, the notion exhausted him and others, nights like tonight, he found it a soothing thought.

A pale sliver of moonlight was shining through the window, bathing them both is its silvery light. Kazahaya had a characteristic romanticized idea that it was like a ray of hope shining on the two of them, in a sharp contrast to the reminder of darkness on this day the power outage had brought him earlier. It was with this concept in mind and Rikuo's steady breathing beside him that he managed to fall asleep.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning..._


	6. Fight

**Title:** Words Cannot Heal

**Rating:** PG-ish

**Theme:** #79 – fight

**Disclaimer**: Not mine.

**Author's Notes**: For this theme I knew it would be easy to write one of Rikuo and Kazahaya's normal catty fights, but I really wanted to go beyond that, which was much more difficult than expected. I hope I didn't take them out of character, though I have a feeling I may have.

* * *

It wasn't unusual for an argument to break out between them; they hardly ever went beyond a day without some small disagreement occurring.

But this…

Kazahaya wasn't sure he'd ever seen Rikuo look like this. His cheeks were flushed red; his green eyes were dark with anger. And, though sometimes Rikuo could look unpleasant, never had he looked quite so fierce, as he did in that moment.

Kazahaya didn't want to say he felt fear, because he sincerely did not. But as Rikuo took a few steps forward, practically pushing him against the counter with the kitchen sink directly behind him, those eyes burning into his own, he felt his own mouth go dry and a light sweat break out on his forehead. He could barely find his voice and when he did, it was small and quiet. "Rikuo, I-"

He could see that Rikuo's hands were curled around the edge of the counter, the knuckles white from their tight grip. His breath was coming in harsh pants, and his voice was exceptionally controlled, every word absolutely infused with meaning. "Don't. Just…don't."

There was a moment of silence, extremely uncomfortable and filled with a tension that neither had possibly ever felt. There was an indefinable heat surrounding them. There was anger, steam from the hot water in the sink, and an almost tangible aura of fire and despair and destruction, just waiting to be touched.

Kazahaya felt like he could hardly breathe Rikuo was so close, closing him in against the counter and there was suddenly a snap, a breaking point and the next thing he knew Rikuo's hands were fisted in his shirt pulling him closer than he thought possible. But Kazahaya could not tell what that look on his face meant or what it was that Rikuo was planning to do.

The glass on the counter behind Kazahaya abruptly shattered, glass skittering over the counter and onto the floor. He wasn't sure if Rikuo had meant to do it or not but the sound had seemed to click some piece into place and the fire in his eyes died a little. Kazahaya was pressed back, Rikuo's hands letting go of the shirt, but there was still wrinkles from where the fabric had been bunched into his fists.

Kazahaya barely heard Rikuo's footsteps as they left the room in a quick stride over the roaring in his ears and even less the sound of the front door slamming shut.

After such an emotionally tense moment, Kazahaya thought that it seemed like maybe he should feel like crying or yelling or something significant. But his eyes were unexpectedly dry and no words were aching for release. It wasn't until he went to walk into his bedroom, when not really the feel of glass cutting into his feet but the sound of it, that horrible crunching, reminded him that he wasn't wearing any shoes.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning..._


	7. Coffee

_Limited Patience_

theme 8 - coffee

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of saying it. Not mine.

* * *

Rikuo swore that he was going to kill Saiga. Honestly, kill him. Actual murder. Of the first degree. Premeditated and all of that shit.

Rikuo was going to lure him out of the store by inviting him out for lunch, drug him, tie him up, find out how to make cement shoes, and throw him into a dirty ass river. He was still working on how to get past Kakei's future telling thing, but overall, the plan was looking good.

Because plotting out Saiga's death was the only thing keeping him sane right now. The cause of his possible insanity; Kazahaya would _not stop talking_. Normally, he didn't mind Kazahaya being talkative. But this was going overboard. The sad part was that he couldn't really blame Kazahaya. That was why he was firmly (and justly he believed too) was placing the blame on Saiga.

Saiga had given Kazahaya coffee. Just the memory of it, was enough to bring back the murder scheme. Kakei must have been in on it too, because they hadn't given him some pansy-ass coffee, oh no. It had been some sort of cappuccino with espresso in it. Only Kakei could have come up with that one. Rikuo wondered if Kakei could tell his own future…

"So then, I saw this cat outside, I think it must have been a stray, so I was thinking, maybe if we put some milk outside the door-"

"We don't have any milk."

"Oh? Well, maybe if we put some food outside of the door-"

"Then we can get an infestation of ants?"

"That the cat would come back and maybe I could lure him inside the apartment and-"

"Get cat piss all over the furniture?"

"He could chase away that mouse I saw earlier."

"Dude, you saw a mouse? What the hell?"

"It was kinda cute actually…"

Rikuo swore he could actually see the train of thoughts that were flying through his head. When one ended and the next was going to begin. After all, he'd been listening to this for the past hour. Another was going to start.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"So, Rikuo, I was thinking…"

And that was promptly where the rest of his sentence was lost as Rikuo effectively shut Kazahaya up by sealing their mouths together. Kazahaya couldn't talk so well with another tongue in his mouth and Rikuo planned on keeping it so. At least this way, maybe he could burn off some of the other boy's extra energy.

Forty-five minutes later, clothes were strewn in various different places and both were lying in bed, significantly more sweaty and dirty than when things had started. And just when Rikuo was feeling a strong ache for a post-coital smoke and Kazahaya started up again like he'd never left off, he began to wonder if he could manage to not only off Saiga and Kakei, but maybe he could get in on some of their life insurance too. He fucking deserved it.

* * *

_--daily use of this drug may cause posioning--_


	8. A Lost Cause

**Title:** Too Tired to Care  
**Theme:**#82 – a lost cause  
**Rating:** PG  
**Author's Notes:** Connected toprevious drabble, "coffee" or "Limited Patience". Follows directly after.

* * *

After a sleepless night, Rikuo was feeling a bit peevish the next morning.

The only thing that seemed to make him feel better was that Kazahaya seemed to be in about the same shape, walking around with dark circles under his eyes and tripping over his shoelaces throughout the store.

Both were slightly out of it and Kakei was taking no pity on them. No short shifts, no long lunch breaks and certainly no, as he had repeated to Kazahaya several times already that day, they were not closing the store early so he could back to sleep. Rikuo was beginning to think that Kakei had guessed at his late night fantasies of throwing Saiga into a river and was now getting his sadistic revenge.

It was a little after one in the afternoon when Kakei sent Rikuo back into the break room to tell Kazahaya his break was up. When he opened the door, he found Kazahaya sleeping on the couch, which really wasn't very surprising.

He sat down on the couch, next to Kazahaya's head, and started eating one of the sandwiches from the plate on the table. He poked Kazahaya in the cheek with his free hand. "Oi, your break's up. Wake up."

But, Kazahaya kept on sleeping; only brushing at Rikuo's hand angrily and turning around.

A few more useless attempts at rousing him ensued before Rikuo figured it wasn't his job to take care of him or his sleeping habits and the whole thing was Kakei's fault anyway (sort of), so this was his justifiable payback. Or something like that. He wasn't thinking too straight at the moment.

So when Rikuo slumped back against the couch after eating his lunch and felt his eyes droop heavily, sleeping didn't seem like that bad of an idea. After a few moments, Kazahaya, seeking the warmth of his lap, curled up against him resting his own head on top of his legs. As Rikuo drifted off to sleep, he decided that some things, though not many, could be worth facing Kakei's wrath.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause posioning..._


	9. Snow

**Title:** Silence

**Pairing**: Saiga/Kakei

**Theme:** snow, for legalscribbles

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Author's Notes:** I so took my creative licenses with this one.

**--Edits are always appreciated!--**

* * *

The mornings were always quiet; the one time neither felt the need to fill the silence with anything beyond action. But still, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, despite the fact that they had only known each other a few months. Those months had been enough.

They were at Saiga's apartment. It seemed an odd choice, especially given its bare furnishings and lack of edible food, but his bed was the bigger of the two, and sometimes, well the bigger bed was the only thought involved in the decision process. But, bare furnishings or not, Saiga knew that it mattered little to Kakei. After all, if anybody could understand what it took to survive, it was him.

Kakei was still much of a mystery to him, the enigmatic smile that was always present or the knowing light in his eyes. But those things mattered little when one knew with every fiber in their being that they were caught in the strings of fate, destiny inescapable. He hadn't needed Kakei to tell him that. He'd felt it the moment they'd met.

Some people didn't need words, but only actions.

A soft palm on his shoulder caught his attention, the fingers gently teasing a line down his bare stomach.

"It's going to snow today."

He didn't question the statement. If Kakei was telling him it was going to snow, then it was going to snow. Even if it did look sunnier out than it had the past few days.

"S'okay. I like the snow." His voice was low and husky with sleep, the first words he had spoken all day.

"You won't always think that." Saiga didn't question that either. At the moment he liked the longer hair tickling his chest, as Kakei's head was bent over him, lips questing over the exposed skin. That was enough.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause posioning..._


	10. Snow II

**Title:** Chill  
**Rating:** PG  
**Pairing:** Rikuo/ Kazahaya  
**Theme:** snow (again, I know, but I couldn't help myself!)  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Author's Notes:** I have been extending requests to those who are nice enough to enjoy what I write and let me know. **If you have a request**, please leave it in your review or use the PM feature here on I am trying my best to finish all of these by Christmas (I'm trying to find ways to pass the time now that school is out for a month!), so please, if you have something in mind, please let me know if you prefer R/K or S/K and a one or two word prompt. Congrats to all those who successfully finished the semester or are almost done!

* * *

Rikuo was…not happy, to say the least. Kakei had sent them out on _another_ mission (which was the third one this week), and Rikuo was tired of getting being out into the snow.

Which explained his current feelings of anger, consequently becoming one of the only things that he could feel, considering his fingers and toes were beginning to go quite numb.

He was trudging along in what had to be at least a foot of snow, mentally cursing out his boss, when something cold, icy and hard hit the back of his head. The ensuing laughter gave away the culprit of the well-aimed snowball. Rikuo felt his eyebrow twitch. He was so not in the mood to get in a fight. He wanted a nice, warm, heated room.

When he kept walking without any reaction, Kazahaya sighed loudly from his place a few feet behind him. "Jeez, lighten up a little bit."

A few minutes later another snowball hit him, this time in the back. He turned around, scathing reply on his tongue, only to be confronted with a smiling Kazahaya, both hands hiding guiltily behind his back.

"Don't even think about it, Kazahaya. I mean it."

But it seemed his words were not to be heeded, as Kazahaya approached him smiling cheerfully the whole while. Not quite sure what Kazahaya had planned, but ready to avoid it at all costs, Rikuo braced himself. And, he was sure his plan would have worked when Kazahaya made to jump on him, most likely to plant the big ball of snow right on the top of his head, but the ground was slippery and in some strange acrobatic-like move, they ended up on the ground, Kazahaya lying breathless on top of him.

Granted, Rikuo was freezing his ass off and falling into the snow had not felt at all pleasant, but he had to admit that the situation had a certain appeal to it. Kazahaya's face was even with his and sporting an even bigger grin than before. "That was fun."

Rikuo couldn't help but laugh, because only Kazahaya could find joy out of limbs flailing around and landing in cold snow.

It was then, with a soft smile on Kazahaya's lips and a cheerful glow in his eye, that Rikuo thought maybe he was becoming a bit too comfortable. But he truthfully didn't want to ruin the moment, even though the snow was beginning to soak through the back of his jacket and he was sure somebody would pass by eventually and step on them.

Refocusing, Kazahaya's face suddenly seemed much nearer than before and Rikuo swore he could feel his breath fleetingly along his cheek. One of Kazahaya's hands had slipped around to the back of his neck and was slowly bringing Rikuo's head closer. Rikuo thought the whole thing was quite unlike Kazahaya, usually he wasn't so forward, but really he was past the point of caring about anything as insignificant as _reasoning_, when he saw those soft lips making their way towards his and there was silky hair brushing the side of his face.

This was, of course, before a very cold snowball was smashed right into his face and Kazahaya jumped off him, laughing in triumph. Wiping the cold ice from his face, Rikuo felt even more grumpy than before, which he hadn't previously thought possible.

However, Rikuo did feel slightly better when Saiga came out to greet them later and pulled Kazahaya against him, only to get a snowball in the back of the head. This knocked off his sunglasses, which Saiga thought to be a great offense, starting a huge snowball fight in front of the store in the process.

And when Kakei came out minutes later, elegantly ducking a misdirected snowball flying through the air, he couldn't quite find it in himself to scold them. They all deserved to have at least one good memory in the snow.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning..._


	11. Gin

_Hush_

**Characters:** Rikuo, Saiga

**Word Count:** 753

**Rating:** PG-13

**Theme: **Gin

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, 'tis CLAMP's bag of goodies.

* * *

He'd been there two weeks now. Things were falling into a steady rhythm, one which he didn't love, but one he considered a necessary evil to finding Tsukiko. He'd run out of options and this had begun to seem his best bet.

It was only October, the late night air was sharp, but he was sitting on the steps leading up to his third floor room wearing only a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of faded jeans. An opened but practically untouched bottle of gin was propped up against his leg, sadly not the reason for the burning feeling that seemed almost permanent in his chest. He liked to tell himself otherwise though.

He heard the footfalls in front of him, but remained unconcerned, still leaning back and staring up into the sky.

"Do I want to know where you got that, boy?"

Rikuo finally looked in front of him to see Saiga standing there with his trademark slouched pose, dark sunglasses in place, even this late at night, and a cigarette burning brightly in the inky blackness.

"I thought you knew better than to ask questions you don't want the answers to."

Saiga laughed and made himself comfortable on the same stair Rikuo was sitting on. They were both probably too big to be sitting on the same small step, but it concerned neither that their shoulders happened to brush if one moved too much. The gin was no longer propped against Rikuo's leg, but now in Saiga's hand, making its way towards the larger man's mouth.

Rikuo, not sure if he had consumed more than originally thought, was fascinated by the smooth movements of the other man. The working of his throat, seemingly unaffected by the large swallow of alcohol, and the way his tongue came out to lick the remaining liquor from his lips. The bottle was passed back to Rikuo, who took a drink, nowhere near as smoothly, still inexperienced and unpracticed in such matters.

Silence ensued, minutes passed. Saiga finished his cigarette and put it out against the wall, flicking it with his forefinger, to the ground below. Rikuo growled in anger, Saiga knew damn well he'd have to sweep that up tomorrow morning.

Another moment passed and Rikuo began to wonder why exactly Saiga was out here, spending a portion of his night with him. Surely he had other things to do, reasons not be passing the night in a strained stillness with Rikuo. Perhaps Kakei had asked him to? It was the only thing that seemed logical.

Saiga, however, looked indifferent and took his time pulling out his pack of cigarettes in his coat pocket, tapping the box against the palm of his hand. Rikuo had almost begun to think he would just remain sitting in silence, when he pulled out another cigarette and lit it. He took a slow drag and looked at Rikuo, almost as if seeing him for the first time tonight. In a silent, tension filled movement, he extended the cigarette to Rikuo, offering the smoke up.

Rikuo had never smoked before, but for some reason, it felt right to take Saiga's offer, sitting there in the quiet darkness.

Saiga lit another for himself and finally broke the long standing silence. "It'll get better."

Rikuo scoffed. That seemed practically impossible at this point. He knew that Saiga couldn't be speaking about Tsukiko, if Kakei could see anything, he would have known by now. So what else could make things better?

Then again, Saiga wasn't one to make assurances or statements without merit. Rikuo might not have understood much about Saiga or his motivations in that moment, but he knew he was at least being sincere.

Moments later, both cigarettes finished, Saiga stood up and slipped the bottle of liquor into his pocket. He put a hand on Rikuo's shoulder and bent down to look him in the eyes. They were so close, Rikuo would have swore that he could almost see Saiga's eyes through his sunglasses. "I trust I won't be dealing with this situation again, rent boy."

He turned away and left with nothing more than a simple but firm, _go to bed, _and Rikuo thought he'd never had a stranger experience.

But later that night, when Rikuo went back to his room, feeling oddly disoriented, and looked at the second bed in the apartment, the one that had always seemed so very out of place, he had to admit, he actually did feel, just a little bit better.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning..._


	12. Red

**Bare  
****Rating:** PG-15-ish  
**Theme:** red, for legalscribbles  
**Author's Note**: I intended for this to be funny and cliche but then it turned vaguely pr0n-y. Whoops.

* * *

There was something about that expanse of pale skin that was the ultimate temptation. Creamy and unblemished, absolutely perfect in its porcelain hue. Every time he moved, it was swift, graceful, and almost eloquent in its silence.

In other words, in complete contradiction to the rest of his clumsy limbs. But that mattered little.

But still, there was something about it that could not be resisted. It was always exposed, mocking him, teasing him. _Taste me. Touch me. Want me._

Sometimes the pull was too much. He could no longer defy his instincts. To claim, to mark, to possess.

That night, they barely made it up the steps and inside the apartment. He took him against the wall while both were still almost completely dressed. He didn't hold back, feeding off the whimpers and the moans that other one made.

His lips were questing, roving and before he knew, leaving that rosy wet mouth and were instead latched onto that perfect patch of skin below the other's ear. There was sucking and biting and growling and absolute mindlessness.

It wasn't until much later that they considered the consequences of their actions.

It was after dinner actually, when Kazahaya finished using the restroom, looked into the mirror hanging on the bathroom wall. He stormed into the kitchen where Rikuo was calmly washing dishes.

"Rikuo!"

He never looked up from his washing. "Hmm?"

"Look!" He was pointing at the not-so-small red mark on his neck.

Rikuo just grunted, seemingly unconcerned.

"Now I have to try and hide this all day tomorrow at work, you jerk."

"So?"

Kazahaya sighed and sat on one of the chairs by the table, close to the sink.

"Hey, Rikuo…"

"What?"

"I'm beginning to think I know why Kakei-san always wears turtlenecks…"

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause poisoning..._


	13. Can It Fit?

_Untitled_

**Pairing:** Is it bad when you don't know how to answer this? Kakei/Saiga I suppose.  
**Rating:** PG-13 (for implied innuendo)  
**Theme:** "can it fit?" and ferret  
**A/N:** Wow, this is...well, you'll find out I suppose. xD

* * *

Had any customers come into the Green Drugstore that day, they would have found themselves disappointed by the lack of service. Some could have walked in and stole products had they felt the urge, as not a single person was in sight.

At first, Rikuo had been out on the floor, but had begun to wonder where exactly Kazahaya was and had gone in search of him. He found him with his ear pressed to the door of the break room and a fierce blush staining his cheeks.

"Uh, I'm almost afraid to ask this, but what the hell are you doing?"

Kazahaya jumped back from the door guiltily. "…Nothing."

Rikuo was about to tell Kazahaya to hurry up and get back to work when he heard something …odd from inside the break room.

"Who's in there?"

Kazahaya's blush returned. "Saiga-san and Kakei-san."

Rikuo heard Saiga's voice, somewhat muffled, through the door. "What do you mean, you can't find the key?"

"I could have sworn I put it in my pocket…" That was Kakei, sounding somewhat flustered, compared to his usual composure.

"Well, I hope you find it soon, my arms are starting to get tired."

At that Rikuo almost choked; no way that could mean what he was thinking. No way, even if Kakei and Saiga were into that stuff, honestly he wouldn't put it past them, but there was no way they would be so indiscreet as to be in the break room during lunch hour.

Kakei again: "Don't be so impatient. After all, isn't it worth it?"

"Hmm, let me see it again? …Yeah, I've got to admit it, Kakei Jr. is definitely worth it."

At that both Rikuo and Kazahaya had their ears pressed to the door, equal parts horrified and fascinated at the dialogue they could hear.

"What? You've named it?"

"Well, it's so long and slender. You know, like you."

Rikuo thought that this was way too much information but supposed that if he ever needed to blackmail the two, this would be perfect.

"Oh, here's the key!" Kakei sounded rather triumphant about his discovery.

Saiga sighed in relief. "Finally, I can't wait to put it in there."

"Don't be so impatient. Can it fit?"

"Of course it can fit. It was made for this, after all." Saiga sounded rather smug at that.

"Here we go then. You're finally home, boy!"

"Aww, it looks so cute in there!"

"Oh my God." That last part was from Kazahaya actually; whose face was now an unattractive shade of flaming red.

Rikuo wasn't sure if he should laugh at the situation or be pissed off because he could never sit on that couch ever again.

"We should get back to work, Kazahaya."

"Yeah…"

Meanwhile, Kakei and Saiga were still enjoying playing with their new pet ferret and the cage they had bought for it.

Though, they both had thought it was somewhat strange that when they'd told Rikuo and Kazahaya about it, they had just walked away muttering about a bet in regards to who had to disinfect the break room later.

* * *

_daily use of this drug may cause posioning..._


	14. Confusion

**Title:** Disorder  
**Rating:** PG  
**Pairing:** Rikuo/Kazahaya  
**Challenge:** confusion

I hate you.

You push and you pull and I never have any clue what direction you want me to be in.

Sometimes, I think all of the trouble is worth it. There are days when I see a spark of life in your eyes, days when you don't seem completely dead inside.

Other days it seems like nothing will ever penetrate the walls you have up. You're the idiot who invited me, so why do you insist on keeping the door shut?

You're a coward. Nobody ever sees it; you never show vulnerability to anyone. How can they not realize your armor is your weakness?

I hate you for putting me through this – it's Hell – and you can't even manage to tell me why.

I hate you for making me care. I hate you for saving me from freezing to death. I hate you for instead making me suffer the never-ending cold caused solely by you.

You know why I hate you the most, don't you, Rikuo? It's not because you're cold or arrogant. It's not because I know that I'll never find my way inside you, no matter how hard I try.

It's because you don't have enough left inside to hate me back.

And I don't hate you at all.


	15. Beginning

**From the Start**  
**Prompt: **The beginning of a meaningful friendship or relationship  
**Pairing: **Rikuo/Kazahaya  
**Rating: **PG

* * *

Sometimes, the most important aspects of a person's life begin with the smallest of occurrences. Imagine a chance meeting--a test of fate, one might call it--becoming a changing force in someone's life. Who could guess that something as simple as leaving work at a certain time, or accompanying a friend on an errand could possibly be the work of some cosmic force determined to set you on the right path?

What if...on that cold winter day he had not stopped for a cup of hot chocolate? What if when he had walked past the town square he had not heard a shout of joy from a passerby and happened to look across the street? What if he had just _kept on walking_ like his instinct had told him to?

Where would he be now?

It was a question Rikuo didn't like to contemplate for too long. The reasons why--he preferred not to dwell on those either.

He had seen the young man freezing in the street that day and for some unfathomable reason, he had brought the man home; home being a small room he rented above the drugstore he worked at.

Later that night, when the man had finally opened his eyes, Rikuo understood why he had done it; why he had brought home a man who could be dangerous, or a drug addict, or the cause of more trouble than he was prepared to deal with.

It was his eyes; they were so tired. Not a physical fatigue, bone-deep tired but a soul-weary hopeless exhaustion.

Rikuo knew the expression; he saw it everyday in the mirror.

Oddly enough, his visitor didn't appear to be frightened or worried over the fact that he was in an unfamiliar room with a virtual stranger.

"Who are you?" he asked; his voice was rough from lack of use.

Rikuo scowled at the question and passed the man a cup of hot tea. "What does it matter? You're the idiot who was taking a nap in the snow. I just happened to be the one stupid enough to care."

The stranger's pale hands were wrapped around the cup, but he'd yet to take a drink. Instead, he just stared inside the earthenware ceramic, apparently transfixed by his own reflection in the liquid's surface; perhaps he was just as sick of the tired lonely look in his eyes as Rikuo was.

Standing up suddenly, Rikuo scratched the back of his neck--a sign of nervousness he hoped the other wouldn't pick up on.

"In any case, this is a room above the Green Drugstore. You ever heard of it?"

Despite the man shaking his head 'no,' Rikuo continued.

"The manager here is looking for another employee. He's got an extra room too. You can talk to him in the morning if you want."

The stranger still hadn't looked up from his cup of tea. "Why?" he whispered harshly, his voice still hoarse.

Rikuo shook his head and turned away.

"Why?" he repeated, seemingly desperate for an answer. But Rikuo didn't have one; the silence that followed was deafening.

The man took a shallow breath; it caught in his throat. "My name...is Kazahaya."

Still facing the wall, Rikuo closed his eyes, but found he did not have the strength needed to share his own name. Maybe...maybe the next day could be different.

Taking a few steps into his room, Rikuo sighed; he felt more tired today than he had in a long time. "Good night."

He shut the door to his room. The click of his lock was quiet, but he had never heard it quite so clearly.


	16. Cooking Diaster

**Title:** Pay It Forward  
**Pairing:** Kazahaya/Rikuo  
**Rating:** PG  
**Prompt:** Cooking Diaster

* * *

Kazahaya usually ends up washing the dishes, as Rikuo finds himself cooking dinner more often as the time passes. It isn't out of any supposed kindness; rather Rikuo prefers not to chance death any more than he already has to with Kakei's ridiculous side jobs.

It isn't long however, before a mixture of exhaustion and preoccupation catch up with him one evening and dinner ends up being nothing more than a burnt bowl of ... well, looking a bit like something Kazahaya would have cooked.

Kazahaya, of course, won't shut up about it and continues to call him a "complete culinary failure" for the better portion of a week. Rikuo exacts his revenge by refusing to cook, but almost immediately regrets it when Kazahaya performs almost as badly. Come Friday, Rikuo can't imagine eating dinner without feeling a deep fear for his digestive system.

Despite the fact that it is Kazahaya's fault, Rikuo feels guilty over the rejected look Kazahaya gets when he informs him that he will be eating out that evening. Belatedly extending an invitation to join him won't work until Rikuo swears that he'll pay for Kazahaya's dinner (and yes, really, whatever he wants) and that Kazahaya can choose where to eat. At which point Rikuo can't decide if blowing his entire paycheck is worth not eating Kazahaya's food for another night.

The ensuing night is a practice of Rikuo's patience, when Kazahaya finds himself more ignorant about the method of ordering fast food than any normal person has the right to be.

It isn't until they are seated with their food that Rikuo can even start to relax. When he does, it is at the sight of Kazahaya struggling valiantly with a packet of ketchup. After he finally succeeds in tearing it open and accidentally spilling it on all of his fries, Rikuo is forced to push his own serving over to share. Kazahaya thanks him a bit shyly and the urge to tease him arises from a mixture of embarrassment and habit.

"It's only appropriate that I share with my date," Rikuo tells him with a smirk.

Kazahaya chokes on a fry and stutters his response. "Y-Your date? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Let's see," Rikuo begins thoughtfully, ticking off each point on his fingers, "I invited you out to dinner; I paid for you, and I even shared my food with you." He stops to look Kazahaya meaningfully. "You don't think this all comes without a price, do you?" His point is clear by his leering stare.

If possible, Kazahaya's cheeks begin to burn even brighter. "Rikuo, you bastard!"

He chuckles at the predictable response and comes back with his own. "Stop looking so sexy when you're angry then."

Kazahaya looks ready to storm off, and Rikuo guesses that if there hadn't been take-out involved, probably would have. Instead, he settles back into his seat, muttering various insults and pulls Rikuo's fries closer to his side of the table.

Rikuo mentally congratulates himself. Now that was worth his paycheck.


End file.
